Fans Will Go Marching Into Superdome For Cheaper Saints Tix

About 40% of Saints fans will pay less for season tickets in '02 "under a new pricing plan" announced yesterday, according to Aaron Kuriloff of the New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE. Though 60% of ticket holders "will see price increases of up to" $5 per ticket, "many more seats will be available at discounted rates than in previous seasons." Saints Dir of Sales & Marketing Wayne Hodes said that the new plan will make 26,236 tickets available for $40 or less. Hodes also said that "offsetting price hikes in seating areas along the sidelines and in the club level will be 1,000 new $8.75 tickets, ... and 9,000 season tickets for $25 per game." Hodes added that the updated price structure has the average Saints ticket valued at $50.94, about 10% less than the projected league average for '02. The $8.75 tickets "will be among the cheapest" in the NFL. Hodes: "We're trying to hit all ends of the community. We still want to offer those upscale opportunities for companies, but we're trying to accommodate people with less household income, too." Hodes added that a new seating configuration also "might make sellouts easier to achieve," as the team plans to "eliminate about 1,250 obstructed-view seats before next year in response to fan complaints." The move would make the Superdome's capacity 68,770 (TIMES-PICAYUNE, 1/23).